re: Astros sale to include $70M for move to American League

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It will be 15 years before the Astros are a serious contender again.

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I disagree. When you continually draft high in the draft and get back quality prospects for your vets that you trade away you will contend eventually. Case in point, The Rays and Rangers. This is also the reason I think the Royals will compete for their division title next year and I think the Nationals are not too far off. Pittsburgh is their own enigma, I have no idea what the hell they are doing over there.

Local attorney says Astros’ move to AL violates lease agreement

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Citing provisions from a 2000 agreement that expires at the end of 2029, Yankowsky said the terms spell out that the home team — the Astros — be a National League franchise.

Article 1, Section 1.1 of the lease states that all capitalized terms in the lease have meanings assigned in a glossary of defined terms. One of the key provisions, Yankowsky said, comes in Article 5, Section 5.1 defining “Permitted Uses” of Minute Maid as including “exhibition, presentation and broadcasting of Baseball Home Games and activities related thereto.”

The Glossary of Defined Terms classifies “Baseball Home Games” as “any major league baseball game in which the Team as the host Team for its opponent (i.e. the Team takes the field in the first half of each inning and bats in the last half of each inning of such baseball game).” Team, as defined by the Glossary, is “the major league baseball team owned by the tenant pursuant to the rights granted to it as a National League franchise under the Franchise, currently named the Houston Astros Baseball Club.” Franchise, as defined in the lease, is “the Team issued by the National League.”

“In the simplest form, what this means, in my judgment, is come opening day of 2013, the Sports Authority can refuse to let them play because it’s not a permitted use of the stadium,” Yankowsky said. “They can quite simply lock the doors and say, ‘No, it’s not a permitted use.’ The play of Major League Baseball games, by definition, are limited to games in which a National League team is the home team.”

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I have a new hero, and he's a lawyer?!?

There will still be plenty of NL games, just not as many, they said the scheduling will be more like the NBA where its not as focused on divisional games. Personally, I have been an Astros fan my whole life, and I had many years of season tickets at the Astrodome. The franchise just needs a fresh new start, and to me the American League can be the beginning of that start. They are still playing baseball last I checked. McLane ran his course and he sucked, they need to fire Ed Wade that SOB too, worst hire in baseball.

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They have literally no tradition of any kind and Washington is a longtime American League city.

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Boom, exactly!

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The Astros have been a serious contender one time in their entire existence, brah.

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bullshite. They've been to the WS once, but have been contenders several times. Doinking in the playoffs =/= not contending.

The 1980 and 86 NLCS are 2 of the most memorable because they were so close.

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who cares if they move?

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most Astros fans, you know the fricking customers.

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more chances to see the Yanks & Red Sox play in Houston...

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whoppeee fricking doo? Why is that a selling point? Why should an Astros fan who has followed the NL forever give a flying frick about seeing the Yankees and Red Sox more often? Now I don't get to see the Cubs, Cards, Dodgers, Braves etc. Outside of going to YS or FP, why should i care about seeing either team anyway? frick, if I want to see those teams, i can just turn on ESPN on any day in baseball season that ends in the letter Y and they will be on, often playing each other? But maybe we can get to hear Sweet Caroline at MMP aka Baseball Factory of Sadness, again. That will be a treat!